Georgia General Assembly · Full text

SR 726: Crook, Jr., Edward "Eddie"; condolences

Enrolled version, the latest LegiScan holds · Last action February 9, 2026 · Passed

The text as LegiScan holds it, read from the PDF the legislature publishes with its margin line numbers, running heads, and page footers removed. Line breaks are joined into paragraphs here; no word is changed.

Copy for LLM, View as markdown, and Send to AI use the Markdown version: this text, then the summaries under a heading that names them as ours. View raw is the text alone.

Back to the summary

Senate Resolution 726

By: Senators Wicks of the 34th, Harbison of the 15th, Anderson of the 43rd, Payne of the 54th, Rhett of the 33rd and others

A RESOLUTION

Honoring the life and memory of Edward "Eddie" Crook, Jr.; and for other purposes.

WHEREAS, the State of Georgia mourns the loss of one of its most distinguished citizens with the passing of Edward "Eddie" Crook, Jr.; and

WHEREAS, affectionately known as Eddie, Edward Crook, Jr., became Columbus, Georgia's, Olympic gold medalist at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy; and

WHEREAS, competing in middleweight boxing, Eddie was part of a historic and dynamic United States Olympic boxing team that included Muhammad Ali and Wilbur McClure; and

WHEREAS, he served as a guardian of this nation's freedom and liberty with the United States Army, valiantly and courageously protecting his fellow Americans for 30 years, retiring at the rank of Command Sergeant Major and serving two tours in Vietnam as well as earning the Silver Star, two Purple Hearts, and a Bronze Star; and

WHEREAS, at age 31, Eddie was reportedly the oldest United States Army boxer to ever win an Olympic gold medal, an extraordinary achievement that crowned an already distinguished athletic career; and

WHEREAS, following his Olympic triumph, Eddie retired from competitive boxing and continued his service with the United States Army, where his athletic excellence extended to football; and

WHEREAS, Eddie supported the boxing program at the Fort Benning Military Base, where he established a training initiative known as the "Smokers"; and

WHEREAS, Eddie was an active speaker for the Georgia Olympics, participated in the United States Postal Service speaker program, and contributed to preparations for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta; and

WHEREAS, a man of deep and abiding faith, Eddie was an active member of Saint John AME Church in Columbus, Georgia; and

WHEREAS, he was blessed with 10 remarkable children, Sandra, Terri, Alison, Edward, Brenda, Jerry, Melinda, Michael, April, and David, and many wonderful grandchildren and great grandchildren; and

WHEREAS, in his honor, his family established the Edward and Fannie Crook Jr. Foundation to provide annual scholarships to graduating seniors at Fannie's former high school, Spencer High; and

WHEREAS, a compassionate and generous man, Eddie will long be remembered for his love of family, friendship, and community and will be missed by all who had the great fortune of knowing him.

NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE SENATE that the members of this body join in honoring the life and memory of Edward "Eddie" Crook, Jr., and express their deepest and most sincere regret at his passing.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Secretary of the Senate is authorized and directed to make an appropriate copy of this resolution available for distribution to the family of Edward "Eddie" Crook, Jr.